Fist off - group classes this week:

• Monday 7:30pm Street Latin - Merengue (the most fun of dances)
• Tuesday 6:30pm Latin American - Jive (If rock and roll and ballroom had a baby)
• Wednesday 7:30pm Swing and RnR (Lindy Hop - the origin of swing)
• Thursday 6:30pm Ballroom - Ballroom tango (the dance that took the world by storm for a period)

Next cycle will be:

• Kizomba
• Cha cha
• Rock and Roll
• Slow foxtrot

Second - remember the social outings we have planned.
You should have already bought your tickets from Fotakis for the Greek night this Friday. But we will post the playlist for the dance break along with the suited dance styles in the Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/DestineDance
Then on Saturday night we have the Supremes at Carnegie Hall - www.facebook.com/events/1162322321597499. 
60 Rosstown Rd, Carnegie
Doors open at 7 pm, but the band starts at 8:30 pm. So we can also go to dinner nearby first - after securing our table at the hall. 
Let me know if you are coming, so I can book the table, and if you want to go somewhere for dinner beforehand, so I can set up s system to organise us all.

Third - let's talk about options for awards.
As you will recall, if you were there, we had the first presentation dance by students who simply wanted to perform at the last awards night. Other students are now expressing interest in this, and creating partnerships to get ready for the next awards night on August 28. This means we now have a friendly comp' where you can dance and put on a show to entertain others. Let me know if you are keen on this and also start looking for a partner now.
 
Do you want to do awards, but not the privates?
 
I am thinking about organising an extra group class specifically for awards preparation. It would teach only a set number of dances, focus on the routines and be at the proficiency level for now. If you are keen on being involved in this, then let me know. The level of interest will determine if we take it further. Also, it would be at 8:30pm on Wednesday night or Monday night.
 
 
See you on the dance floor

Let's talk about some attitudes that can make it harder to learn dance - so you know what not to do!

Every now and then I hear a comment from someone that makes me realise that they have an attitude that is not conducive to learning dance as well as they could. By noting these in yourself, should they be there, you can align yourself better with your dance goals.

Here are the 5 I have noticed most.

1 Thinking dance should be easy
This is especially true for wedding couples, but I have seen it in regular ongoing students. It is surprising how many people think they should, after a few weeks, be dancing like people they have seen on YouTube. I am sure when you read that, you can see the fallacy in this perspective - therefore, we need to consider what brings this unconscious notion about:

• Remember that no-one puts up a video of themselves online that looks poor. So you are seeing a filtered sample.
• Remember that often the videos put online are of choreographed dances so they practiced that one routine again and again.
• And if it is not choreographed, then it is likely you saw people who have been dancing for years. In cultures that have dance as a major elements, it is often around 3 years before members of that culture become competent dancers. To assume that you can do it in less time is simply disrespectful toward such cultures - so adjust that attitude for sure.

2 Thinking you should be as good as other students in class

• Do you know how long other students have been dancing for?
• Have they been to more classes than you have?
• Do they attend classes more regularly than you do?
• Do they practice more between classes than you do?
• Did they learn dance before they came to the studio?

These all might be reasons why another student can dance better than you. Also, they give you some ideas on what YOU can do to improve YOUR dance ability. So stop worrying about others and think about what you can do to be better.

3 Thinking you just need it explained to you one more time
Try giving it a go so you can better understand what you need to do. You will also then have some insight to ask better and more helpful questions.

Tell me and I forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.
Xun Kuang 312-230 BCE

Wanting to see demonstration upon demonstration or wanting to have a figure explained again and again instead of doing it and then using the experience to provide feedback is unlikely to help. Have a go, notice what did or did not seem to work - really feel your body - and then ask questions based on that. You will learn much faster by doing.

4 Thinking you can be told one special secret and you will then instantly dance better
Many often think that the best dancers have this secret to dancing well. And that if they only knew this secret, then they too would dance well. There is indeed something that all the good dancers have that will help, but it's no secret - it's practice!

You can always get more advice, but chances are you need to practice more the advice you have been given before you get more. Focus on what you have been told, and master that before thinking you need more "secrets". 

One side note: if you have not been told anything about a specific attribute (timing, posture, the way to lead or follow a certain figure, musicality, physicality exercises etc.), then it's always smart to ask about those specifically. But that's not one simple secret, that is a lot of small insights that will add to large gains - with practice.

5 Thinking it's your partner's fault
We are talking about a two person activity here. And sometimes it is not your fault. But it is a team thing. so work with your partner to help them - and yourself - get better. Once you are both working to help both of you (and you genuinely want to see both do better), you will start to see yourself and others improve. If you want to read more about the serious efforts to help both people improve, then take a look at Ballroom Dancing Is Not for Sissies: An R-Rated Guide for Partnership.

Leave a comment if you have any questions about the above or if you can think of other attitudes that hold people back.

​Clint

Fist off, group classes this week:

• Monday 7:30pm Street Latin - Merengue (the most fun of dances)
• Tuesday 6:30pm Latin American - Jive (If rock and roll and ballroom had a baby)
• Wednesday 7:30pm Swing and RnR (Lindy Hop - the origin of swing)
• Thursday 6:30pm Ballroom - Ballroom tango (the dance that took the world by storm for a period)

Now let's talk social events:

• 31-May-24 Greek Night plus various dance styles you know. Make sure you let Fotakis know if you are going with the Destine Dance group.
• 1-Jun-24 Supremes - https://www.facebook.com/events/1162322321597499 - at Carnegie Hall. Let me know if you are coming along.
• 9-Jun-24 Nikki Nicholls - https://www.facebook.com/events/938981844572570 - a great way to finish your Sunday/weekend off at the same place we teach dance. Let me know if you are coming. 
• 6-Jul-24 A swing and blues night. Save the date for now.

​Let me know if there are any other events (specific or dance type) you would like to attend. I will see what we can organise.
 
 
See you on the dance floor
Clint

If you are a member of the Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/DestineDance - then you saw the post about the swing and blues event. If you are not, then go join now.
 
And before that, there is a disco event on June 1 at the Dutch club -  www.facebook.com/events/1162322321597499. Let me know if you want to go to this - we can get there at 7 to secure our table and then all go to a restaurant nearby for dinner.
 
Note, that's the same weekend as the Greek night that Fotakis is organising - again see the Facebook group for details or talk to Fotakis in the next group class - so the weekend at the end of May and at start of June will be a fun weekend of dance. 
 
But now to group classes this week:

• Monday 7:30pm Street Latin - Merengue (the most fun of dances)
• Tuesday 6:30pm Latin American - Jive (If rock and roll and ballroom had a baby)
• Wednesday 7:30pm Swing and RnR (Lindy Hop - the origin of swing)
• Thursday 6:30pm Ballroom - Ballroom tango (the dance that took the world by storm for a period)

 
 
See you on the dance floor
​Clint

This week we start a new cycle in group classes and we start getting ready for the next awards.
 
Group classes this week:

• Monday 7:30pm Street Latin - Merengue (the most fun of dances)
• Tuesday 6:30pm Latin American - Jive (If rock and roll and ballroom had a baby)
• Wednesday 7:30pm Swing and RnR (Lindy Hop - the origin of swing)
• Thursday 6:30pm Ballroom - Ballroom tango (the dance that took the world be storm for a period)

If you are a private student, then you will now be thinking about what to do for the next awards. 

If you went to the awards as a guest, then you are likely now thinking about doing awards yourself. Get in touch with me if you would like to talk more about this. You might want to just focus on getting good at one dance - awards are an excellent way to focus so you get good fast. Or maybe you now want to take this path to explore, learn and master all the dances you can. That's why I kept on learning dance.

Also, if you saw the showcase at the end, and you would like to do the same (put on a show for it's own sake and get feedback from a qualified adjudicator), then, once again, get in touch and we can talk more about that too.


See you on the dance floor
Clint